"Provision for economical, comfortable, faster and safer facilities for travelling is necessary to improve the quality of life in our cities and also for economic growth. Urban local bodies will be compelled to increase focussing on housing, water and other amenities including urban transportation," said Ravi Saxena, chief executive officer (CEO) of Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB). He was addressing a seminar on 'Regulation and Development of Urban Mass Transit System' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.
He said most of the Indian cities depend on bus transport with notable exceptions of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, where suburban trains play an equally dominant role in commutation.
The growth of road-based urban mass transit systems has resulted in extreme congestion of roads, high pollution levels, increasing road accidents, noise pollution and extremely low speeds.
The Gujarat government's move to prepare an Integrated Public Transit System for Ahmedabad through GIDB is a commendable move in planning an urban transport system.
There is an obvious need for a rail-based system. If travel demand on a corridor exceeds 10,000 per hour per direction, buses will not be able to manage and a rail-based mass transit system becomes an imperative, he said.
B S C Rao, executive director of Bangalore Mass Rail Transport, said that as the cities grow, their populations, incomes and aspirations expand, and vehicular population growth can be controlled only up to a certain limit. In the long run, it becomes imperative for any government to provide an efficient public mass transportation system to keep vehicular growth within the manageable limits.
He added a rail-based mass rapid transit system is the most cost-effective form of mass transport.
He suggested creation of supportive administrative systems and urban mass transit authorities for centralised planning.
Pankaj Jain, executive director -- projects, Railway Board, opined that the demand level on corridors in busy areas well above the capacity of buses and is further rising due to urbanisation and economic growth. The road-based transport system as a rule is unreliable with a poor record of quality of service offered. In comparison, rail transit provides a reliable, safe and comfortable journey.
He added that railway is more economical in energy use and eco-friendly too. It is high time that railway mode of transport is given its due share at the time of urban planning.
Jain suggested that an institutional arrangement like a joint venture company may be formed in each state with participation of the Indian Railways, ministry of urban development and the state governments. This joint venture should be the holding company for arms to be created for individual cities with participation of local bodies if considered necessary.
